


Three Minutes

by Zaniida



Series: Engaging the Fandom (POI) [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: About to Be Captured, Acceptance, Can't Do Anything But Talk, Gen, Inevitability, Keep Me Calm, Kidnapping, POV Second Person, Panic Attack, Season 2, Season 2 Root, challenge, elbows-friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 11:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11827620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaniida/pseuds/Zaniida
Summary: John's in the middle of a fight when Harold calls him with an unexpected but urgent request.Note:This one's got a challenge attached!  Deadline: August 31st.





	Three Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> Culture Note: **Kaur** _is a surname used by female Sikhs; it means “Princess” and emphasizes their equality with men. I had to look up how to pronounce it; apparently it’s “core” but with a lax O (as in the caught/cot distinction, the British O in “cot”). If I got that wrong, someone please correct me._

“John?”

“I’m kinda _unf!_ busy here, Finch.”

“I’m… aware. I shouldn’t like to distract you, it’s just that--”

“Can’t this wait five minutes?”

A shuddering sob comes across the earpiece, and your thought process is brought up short. Finch is in trouble. And he didn’t call you _Mr. Reese_ \-- he called you _John_.

“What is it, Finch? What’s wrong?”

“John, I…” An audible swallow. “She’s going to be here soon, and I--”

“Who?”

“Root.”

The sudden chill that runs through you is enough of a distraction that you let arms snake around your neck. The choke hold doesn’t last long; you don’t have time for any of this.

“I’m coming back, just--”

“ _No_ ,” Finch stresses. “John, you _mustn’t_. That’s not why -- you have to stay there; Miss Kaur needs your help. Please. Don’t let her die for me.”

“Like hell I’m going to let that madwoman take you again!”

“She’s _going_ to take me, John,” Finch says, and the calm of his voice might have been believable, but for the earlier sob. “There’s no way for you to get back in time. I can’t get out before she gets here, can’t keep her from getting in; there’s nowhere to hide long enough, no one I can call who’s close enough to do any good. I didn’t call you to save me, just… so you know enough to come looking. I trust you to find me, John. But save Miss Kaur first.”

You punch another guy in the gut, _hard_. He goes down, but it doesn’t make you feel any better. “How long before--”

“Three minutes, now.”

“I’ll find you.”

“You will,” Finch affirms, a statement of absolute faith. But his breaths over the airwaves are coming faster -- the edges of a panic attack. “John, I know I can’t do anything to stop this but… I’m scared. I… I can’t…”

The final attacker goes down, and as you scan the room for additional threats, you try to think of something, _anything_ to say to that. But you come up blank.

“Will you… will you talk to me?” Finch asks, his voice gone small. “Please, just… anything… just help me wait, keep me calm until she gets here. Give me something to cling to. _Be_ with me. _Talk to me_. Please.”

**Author's Note:**

> So will **_you_** talk to Finch?
> 
> As a **birthday request** (August 31st), I’d like to wake up to lots of different versions of whatever comes next! Whatever conversation John and Harold have for about three minutes before Root gets there to claim Harold.
> 
> End the scene with whatever John _hears_ when Root gets there. Anything you like -- just remember to tell it through the medium of **speech** and **sound** , not visuals (stick with John's point of view).
> 
> Note that Harold might or might not be aware of Root entering the library (maybe a minute before she gets upstairs to his workstation). And this is **Season 2 Root** , roughly mid-season, so if you care to, you can toss any later characterization and write what she might have been if she’d stayed a villain longer. Mwahaha.
> 
> Note: You don’t need to stick to second-person present-tense; I just thought it worked well with the part I wrote. Write your portion however you like ^_^
> 
> * _In case you need inspiration, here are some things John might hear just before the end: Harold gasps; Root says something; Harold struggles and then the mic goes dead; Harold gives a last good-bye to John; Root drugs Harold so he'll be more compliant._
> 
> * * * * *
> 
> P.S. If you'd like to write me a present but this particular challenge doesn't appeal, I have some Challenge Prompts that have barely been touched: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaniida/collections
> 
>  **Mission Creep Finch:** As in the episode _Mission Creep_ , Harold loses contact with John and must put himself in danger to give John vital information.
> 
>  **Intense Duet Scenes:** Pair Harold with a dangerous character, "having a conversation that could blow up at any minute," in a confined space (he can't get away). It's one of Michael Emerson's favorite acting scenarios.
> 
>  **Hopscotch John:** The episode _Brotherhood_ raised the idea of John playing hopscotch with kids to get information. Then it skipped to the next scene! I want to see John playing hopscotch!
> 
>  **Integrity Crisis:** A fic that focuses on a scenario where one character's ability to consent is compromised, and the other character must go to extremes to resist temptation (not take advantage of the compromised character). Bonus points if you find a consent issue that isn't about sex! POI gave us an "Information Sharing" variant: Harold is drugged enough to want to share his secrets, and John must distract him. "Peak Effect" (astolat) is a good Sex Pollen example, while "Man with a Mission in Two or Three Editions" (Draycevixen) showcases the information-sharing variant.
> 
> Or, you could always do a scene of **my "bread and butter" scenario:** Someone is trying to capture Harold, Harold tries futilely to get away, they manage to catch him and kidnap him (possibly knocking him out, and I like _slow_ knockouts, the feeling of inevitability as you realize that you're about to lose consciousness, not being able to do anything about it but maybe struggle a bit), and then there's some ordeals while in captivity before Harold gets rescued or escapes. Pain and horror okay, extreme drama is awesome, but no gore and no permanent damage.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Will You Talk To Me?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11954493) by [merionees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merionees/pseuds/merionees)
  * [Three Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11956173) by [oddgit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddgit/pseuds/oddgit)
  * [Three More Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11889846) by [Tipsylex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tipsylex/pseuds/Tipsylex)
  * [Keep Calm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974902) by [MulaSaWala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MulaSaWala/pseuds/MulaSaWala)
  * [Three_Minutes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11877282) by [Lisagarland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisagarland/pseuds/Lisagarland)
  * [Three Minutes and Counting](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15725490) by [PreachingtotheQuire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PreachingtotheQuire/pseuds/PreachingtotheQuire)




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